Loveland Utilities Reminds you to Call Before you Dig
As we all continue to welcome warmer weather Pulse and Loveland Water and Power are reminding all residents to call the Colorado Utility Locator, otherwise known as Colorado 811, before doing any digging or excavation on their property. This proactive step enables residents to be informed about where utility infrastructure exists, so that people and critical utilities remain safe when work is done on residential or commercial properties.
Throughout the year, Loveland Water and Power, and Pulse deliver dependable utility services, striving to maintain service uptimes above 99%. However, instances of power and internet lines being cut or damaged by residents and contractors remain one of the most common disturbances to this reliability.
In an effort to keep everybody in the community safe and free from service outages it is essential to request locates be placed on your property three business days before you plan to do any digging. By now you might be saying to yourself, “But if I’m only digging a few inches, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Wrong. The Colorado Utility Locator website states: “No matter how shallow or deep you’re digging, you must contact 811 first. Colorado State law defines excavation as ‘any operation in which earth is moved or removed by any means of tools…and includes auguring, backfilling, boring, ditching, drilling, grading, plowing-in, pulling-in, ripping, scraping, trenching, hydro excavating, postholing, and tunneling”.
Utility cables can be cut or damaged when residents and contractors begin tilling gardens, trenching to install sprinkler systems, digging to put in a fence and various other landscaping projects. Utility lines from the curb to the property are only buried about a foot underground. This leaves a small margin of error for residents doing home improvement projects, which is why it is best to ensure you know the location of all utilities that may be on your property.
The City of Loveland thanks you in advance for doing your part to protect yourself, others, and the community from unexpected outages and possible line breaks by calling 811 or going online to www.colorado811.org before doing any home improvement projects that requires breaking ground.
For more information about calling 811 or for safe digging practices, residents can call the Colorado Utility Locator at 303-232-1991.
